Tickertape parades for athletes, but not for returning heroes?

Am I the only person who wonders aloud why we honor highly paid professional athletes with a ticker-tape parade through the streets of Manhattan for doing their job, while soldiers returning from combat operations in Iraq are not bestowed the same honor?

My little brother (now a New York City Police detective) nearly died in Kuwait when a rocket landed near his camp.

Look, I’m a Yankees fan and I love a parade, but I’d rather see my brother proudly marching through the Canyon of Heroes than A-Rod.